Child&#39;s amusement device



Nov. 22, 1960 E. A. ENBLOM CHILD'S AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed April 10, 1959 INVENTOR. EMMETT A. E/VBL 0M ArwR/VEY 2,961,252 Patented Nov. 2

CHILDS AMUSEMENT DEVICE Emmett A. Enblom, 928 W. Spruce, Inglewood, Calif.,

assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of fifty percent to Bertha M. Britt, Hollywood, Calif., and fifty percent to said Enblom Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 805,522

8 Claims. (Cl. 280-4739) This invention relates to a childs amusement device of the type exemplified by a hand drawn, motorless chassis carrying a rotary body which supports the child riding thereon, which body is spun or rotated horizontally synchronously and as a result of forward travel of the chassis so as to give the rider the spinning sensation of a carrousel.

The present device is characterized by a simple direct selective connection between the traction means or ground wheel and the rotatable body and has as an important object to provide such a simplified and hence economical construction which is both highly efficient and practical for both fabrication and use.

A particular advantage of the present construction results from the incorporation of a slidable lock pin which acts as a clutch in connecting the traction wheel and drive roller for joint rotation by its insertion therethrough, which pin may be partially retracted so as to free the drive roller and convert it to an idler and thus permit the device to function as a wagon without rotation of the body or allowing the latter to be turned by hand in either direction regardless of movement of the undercarriage. By the present construction, such roller and traction Wheel are located side by side on the same axle with the roller disposed in frictional registration with the underface of the rotary carriage, and with the driving engagement therebetween ensured by the down pressure or weight of the child sitting in the carriage.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, the novelty consisting in the features of construction, combination of parts, the unique relations of the members and the relative proportioning, disposition, and operation thereof, all as more completely outlined herein and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which form part of the present specification:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my amusement device;

Fig. 2 is an approximately medial vertical sectional view with most of the underassembly shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but taken at right angles thereto;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmental view in medial section showing the operative connection between the traction wheel and the body-driving roller, with parts shown in elevation.

Essentially my device is assembled from an upper, body unit centrally pivoted at 12 for horizontal rotary movement upon a supporting undercarriage 14, which latter is provided with ground wheels and is intended to be pulled along by a pedestrian holding on to a forward draw bar 16.

The passenger-seating body 10 is formed of a disk shaped, fiat bottom 18 surrounded by an upstanding annular wall 20 having an outturned, horizontal, peripheral flange 22 about its upper edge. The side walled, body floor 18 provides space for one or several children to sit,

while the encircling flange ring 22 furnishes a hand hold or grasping surface for those inside as well as for another outside to spin the body when it is not being driven from beneath.

The undercarriage 14 is constructed of cross shaft or axle 24 supporting a principal traction wheel 26 on each end thereof, spaced outwardly from the adjacent body wall 2%. An upstanding'cylindrical ring 28 is mounted on axle 24, and both are additionally interconnected by a horizontally disposed, cross brace 30 at right angles to the axle. A diagonally opposing pair of vertical idler rollers 32 are journalled on the outer face of the ring 28 in position to upwardly support the bottom 18 of the rotary body along the general axis of the cross brace 30, while along the same general axis the undercarriage is supported from the ground by a pair of casters 34 located fore and aft to facilitate easy turning or steering of the vehicle. From the forward end of the cross brace 30, a forked extension 36 is horizontally hinged to the upwardly extending drawbar 16 which is provided with a handle 38 on its free end for, use in pulling the 'device. 1

For movement about the central vertical pivot 12, the body 10 is also supported from beneath by a pair of somewhat larger rollers 40 located adjacent opposite ends of the axle 24 and individually spaced inward therealong a short distance from the adjacent main wheel 26 so as to be disposed in rolling registration with the flat underface 18. Each roller can function as an idler. However, one of them (Fig. 5) is provided with coupling or clutch means for joint rotation with the adjacent wheel 26, whereupon the roller functions as a drive wheel for rotation of the body 10 about the central pivot 12. The two traction wheels 26 conveniently have solid (rather than pneumatic) tires which surround. a central axial chamber 42 so that the walls of the latter serves as a mounting structure for an axially directed clutch pin 44 slidably inserted therethrough' and provided with an outer terminal hand hold or knob 46 and internally with a stop log 48 on the section within the cavity 42. The lug is designed to limit the axial movement of the pin by alternate abutment with opposite inner walls of the chamber, the span of which thus defines the possible travel of the pin. The distal extremity of the clutch pin 44 which projects beyond the inner face of the ground wheel 26 is adapted to enter a corresponding bore or slot 50 of the adjacent roller 40 and thereby lock together the roller 40 and traction wheel 26 for joint rotation.

Accordingly, with the drive roller and traction wheel thus engaged, as the undercarriage 14 is drawn along the street or ground, the vertical rolling movement of the ground wheel and roller is transformed to a hori zontal spinning of the body 10 supported thereabove, thus providing a simulated merry-go-round eifect for the child or children riding in the body.

I claim:

1. An amusement device of the character described, comprising in combination: a generally annular body having a flat bottom; an undercarriage including a transverse axle with a ground wheel freely rotatable on each end thereof; said body and undercarriage being centrally pivotally connected for horizontal rotary movement of said body thereabove; generally vertically disposed rollers rotatably mounted on said axle axially inward from the respective ground wheels constantly in rolling supporting registration with the bottom of said body; clutch means for directly locking one of said wheels with the adjacent roller for joint rotation, the other roller being a contramovable idler, whereby rotation of the locked wheel as the device is moved over the ground is transmitted by the adjacent connected roller to effect rotary movement of the body.

comprising in combination: a generally annular body of shallow dish form having aflat bottom; an undercarriage includinga transversely disposed horizontal axle, means pivotally connecting the center of said body to said under carriage for rotation thereabove, ground wheels on which the respective ends of the axle are mounted for horizontal travel of the device, and a roller support ring mounted upon said axle and disposed in a horizontal plane in spaced parallel relation to said bottom; a pair of supporting rollers mounted on said axle inwardly from said ground wheels and constantly in rolling, supporting contact with the underside of said bottom; a driving connection between on of said ground wheels and one of said rollers for transmitting frictional drive to said bottom, the other roller being freely rotatable with respect to said one roller as an idler roller; and a second pair of supporting rollers mounted directly upon said ring and in rolling engagement with the bottom of said body at positions circumferentially intermediate said first mentioned pair of supporting rollers.

3. In a childs amusement vehicle, in combination: a passenger-seating body of shallow dish form having a generally fiat bottom; an undercarriage including an axle, means pivotally connecting the center of said body to said under carriage for rotation thereabove, a pair of ground-engaging wheels freely rotatable on the respec- 'tive ends of said axle and supporting the device for horizontal travel over the ground, and a horizontal ring mounted upon said axle at diametrically opposite points spaced inwardly from said wheels; a pair of rollers rotatably mounted upon respective end portions of said axle between the respective wheels and the periphery of said ring and constantly in rolling supporting engagement withsaid bottom, one of said rollers being freely rotatable with respect to the adjacent wheel and supporting said bottom as an idler; and and driving connection between the other of saidrollers and its adjacent wheel for receiving drive therefrom and transmitting said drive to said body.

4. A vehicle as defined in claim 3, wherein said ring is in the form of an upstanding cylindrical band having its lower edge mounted on said axle.

5. A vehicle as defined in claim 4, wherein said undercarriage further includes asupport arm disposed in a horizontal plane immediately above and resting on the center of said axle and extending, at right angles to said axle, between diametrically opposed areas of the inner face of said ring and interconnecting said ring and axle; and a pair of castering rollers attached to the respective end portions of said support bar adjacent to and inwardly of opposed portions of said ring at fore and aftpositions, with said axle disposed transversely and said ground wheels at the respective lateral extremities of the carriage.

6. A vehicle as defined in claim 5, further including a draw bar with a handle at its forward end, and a hitch attached to the forward side of said ring and joining said draw bar to said carriage.

7. A device as defined in claim 3, further including a pair of rollers journalled upon the periphery of said ring in adjacent relation to said casterin gjjrollers and engaging said bottom for supplementary rolling support of said body for rotational movement thereof.

8. An amusement device as defined in claim 3, wherein said drive connection to said other roller is a releasable positive clutching means comprising a clutch pin eccentrically mounted in the adjacent ground wheel parallel to said axle and axially slidable between positions engaged in an eccentric bore in said other roller to establish the drive connection and a position retracted free of said other roller to break said driving connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 214,246 Fish Apr. 15, 1879 241,180 Barker May 10, 1881 909,500 Woerth Jan. 12, 1909 1,086,349 Carter Feb. 10, 1914 1,339,299 Stock May 4, 1920 1,642,591 Morris Sept. 13, 1927 2,886,340 Kraemer May 12, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 473,306 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1937 

